Red Lips and Bourbon
by BeautifulDreamer.x
Summary: Elena breaks things off with Damon and leaves. Ten years pass and Damon fills those years with liquor, money and women, trying to fill the void. That is until one night in a bar, he spots the last person he expected to see. Delena.


**Red Lips and Bourbon.**  
 **Disclaimer:** I don't own TVD.

 **Set late season 4/early season 5 ignoring major plotlines except Damon and Elena getting together.**

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Damon Salvatore wandered through the door of a busy little New York bar. He pushed past people who were laughing, joking and dancing and his face turned into a scowl. He hated happy people. He hadn't been happy in ten years. He had surrounded himself with liquor, women and money for the past decade but still, nothing changed. _She_ wasn't here and that was the only way he would be happy again. Walking over to the bar, Damon propped himself on the stool and he motioned the bartender over with a wave of his fingers.

"What can I get you?" He asked and Damon shrugged his shoulders, already buzzed from the whiskey he had drunk at the bar across the street.

"Have you ever been so in love that it just-" Damon hiccupped and stared at the bartender. "It just consumes you?"

"No," He replied, scrunching his face up in confusion.

"Well, I have and let me tell you, it's not fun when it's all over and all you're left with are stupid memories which ultimately mean nothing anymore."

"Can I get you something to drink?" He asked again, looking uncomfortable as he placed an empty glass on top of the bar. Damon looked at him for a moment before he spoke.

"Bourbon," grumbled Damon. "The bottle."

"Of corse." The bartender said with a nod of his head. He turned and picked up a full bottle of bourbon, unscrewed the lid and poured a shot of it into Damon's empty glass. Once the glass was full enough, the bartender screwed the cap back on and placed the bottle beside the glass. Damon hiccupped again and threw some money on top of the bar which the bartender snatched up before he moved on to another customer. The bar was buzzing, people were everywhere; drinking and dancing. Damon felt lost in a sea of people but he didn't care, he was too buzzed to care. He had spent the last ten years drunk. He always regretted his choices the morning after but he never changed. He knew what his problem was and he did wonder if his life would ever change. Would he ever get over her? Would he ever stop loving her?

Music blasted through speakers in the bar but he was numb. He took a swig from his glass, the bourbon burning its way down his throat. He coughed slightly before draining the rest of the glass. How did he even get here? Ten years ago, his life was the idea of perfect. He had a real home for the first time in years and that was exactly what Mystic Falls was. He never imagined leaving his home for good. He never imagined leaving his brother either. He and Stefan were finally on good terms and he hated that he had ruined that by leaving Mystic Falls. He had been in a bad place and he needed to get away. Reminders were everywhere and he couldn't cope. He hadn't seen or spoke to Stefan for years, he didn't even know where he was. Then there was Elena. He and Elena had spent the last the last three weeks of their relationship fighting. It was clear they wanted different things. Damon had spent over a hundred years on the earth and he was ready to settle down with Elena. With her recent transition into a vampire, Elena had decided being a home bird wasn't what she wanted. While Damon had offered to come with her on her journey, she had told him she wanted to spend some time alone. Those words had crushed Damon who loved Elena deeply. Elena promised that she had not fallen out of love with Damon and he believed her. Their relationship just wasn't right for the current time in her life.

For the past ten years, Damon had struggled to forget about Elena and get over her. He didn't have a clue where she was in the world right now. In fact, he hadn't seen her since the last time she walked out of his door on that warm June evening. It killed him inside then and for years, it had torn him apart. He wanted her back in his life desperately, but he worried daily that he was never going to see her again.

Shaking his head and snapping out of his thoughts, Damon poured a second glass of bourbon for himself and sighed. His eyes were starting to blur and he was starting to feel a little more than buzzed. He raised the glass to his lips and was ready to knock it back when he felt the glass being snatched out of his hand. He turned his head, eyes blurred and saw a woman standing beside him. She was a slim brunette and immediately he was interested. There was something about a woman who wasn't afraid to push buttons that he liked. He could only just make her out through his blurred eyes and he watched as she took a drink of his bourbon. She was beautiful with long brown hair and a killer black dress. Her bright red lips were wrapped around the rim of the glass and he found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss those lips. He smirked and leant back slightly, trying his best to focus his eyes enough to try to get a good enough look at her face. He needed something to take his mind off Elena and he might have just found said distraction.

"If you had just asked, I would have poured you one." He said, a smirk on his face.

"I didn't realize I needed to ask to have your drink?" The woman said and immediately, Damon sat up bolt right almost falling off of the stool. He knew that voice. Suddenly feeling very sober, he forced his eyes to work properly. He had to be sure, he had to see her face. His eyes slowly began to focus and there she was as beautiful as ever. She hadn't aged a day obviously. Damon's mouth dropped causing her to smirk slightly, something very unlike her.

"Elena.." said Damon, his eyes wide with shock.

"Hello Damon." She said, taking another swig of the bourbon. She pulled a face as the liquid slid down her throat but he wasn't paying much attention. He just stared at her, still in complete shock. She was here, right here in front of him. He couldn't believe it. Part of him thought that he was just crazy drunk and she was either a figure of his imagination or his brain had managed to morph another womans face into hers.

"Elena, you're here."

"I know." smiled Elena with a small laugh. She took a seat on a stool next to him and smiled even wider. "It's so good to see you. I've tried to find you for years."

"Well, here I am." He said.

"Where have you been, Damon?" Elena asked him, her big brown eyes wide and doe-like, just like he remembered.

"I've been around. You obviously know that if you found me here." He said, slight bite in his voice, which he regretted. He watched as the smile dropped off Elena's face. She looked like she had been punched in the stomach and that made him feel like his heart had been ripped from his chest.

Damon almost couldn't believe she was here and even though he had spent the last ten years pining for the woman in front of him, he couldn't help but feel slightly bitter at the fact she had left him in the first place. However, he didn't want to ruin his chances of getting her back so he cleared his throat and toned down his attitude. Just looking at her upset face made him want to lean over and kiss her, forgetting everything that had happened in the last ten years.

"I only found you by accident, Damon. I didn't know you would be here tonight." said Elena, tilting her head to the side.

"You didn't?" Damon asked her and she shook her head.

"No, I didn't," answered Elena. She drained the last of the glass of bourbon, making the same face she had made with every gulp. Damon chuckled to himself. She always did look cute when she was drinking something strong. Her nose crinkled up in an adorable way. For a second he almost forgot she was a vampire. She still had many of her human characteristics.

"I've been in touch with Stefan for years to try to figure out where you were. Whenever I spoke to him, his story never changed." She said to him.

"Stefan doesn't know where I am, Elena. He didn't lie to you." Damon told her and she nodded. "I haven't spoken to him since about a week after you- you.."

"You can say 'left', Damon. That is exactly what I did." Damon nodded his head, breathing out with a sigh. He hadn't even realized he had been holding his breath. "Why not?"

"Why not what?"

"Why haven't you spoke to Stefan? He's your brother." Elena asked, responding to his earlier statement.

"Stefan reminded me of you." He answered honestly, taking his glass back from her and pouring himself another drink. He shot it back, gulping the liquid down. This was harder than he thought it would be. It was so hard being near her again, terrified he would somehow mess it up and lose her all over again. His palms were sweating, which was unlike him and he was shaking slightly.

"Damon.." Elena said, a sad look still on her face. She looked crushed that she had been the one to push him and his brother apart.

"It's okay, Elena." Damon told her, draining his bourbon. He stared down at the empty glass that was still in his hand, trying not to look at her. He knew this wasn't going to end well for him. She would move on again and he would be left to pine after her. "Life moves on."

Damon motioned the bartender over who scurried towards him.

"Can I get another glass for the lady?"

"Sure." The bartender placed a second glass in front of the pair and again, scurried off to the opposite end of the bar where people were shouting over the music to order drinks. The bar was still as lively as the minute he had walked inside yet everything seemed to stop the minute he had spotted Elena. He poured himself a shot and then one for her, nudging the glass towards her with his knuckle.

"Let's not bring up the past, Damon. At least not tonight." Elena said, trying to move on from the idiocy of her youth. She still couldn't get her head around why she had left this incredible man in the first place.

"Deal." Damon said, raising his glass and clinking it with hers. They both took a drink and stared at each other. Damon wanted to say so many things, do so many things to this woman in front of him. The woman who had been through so much with him. He had to watch her fall in love with his brother while he simply stood back. He had to watch as she lost everyone she cared about, well.. almost everyone. He had to watch as she transitioned into a vampire. He had to watch as she hated her new lifestyle. He was there through it all, just like she was for him. She had witnessed every spiral, every temper and every decent moment he had in those lovely few years with her and he wouldn't have changed it. He genuinely believed she was his soulmate. He was completely and totally in love with her. Damon sighed and looked down at the now empty glass, pondering if he should pour himself another. Surely he'd had enough for one night.

"I've missed you." Damon's head shot up and he stared at her, eyes wide. She looked confused at the way he was looking at her but she didn't say anything. Instead, she gave him a small smile which made his heart melt.

"What did you just say?"

"I said, I've missed you, Damon." She replied with a slight laugh.

Damon's face remained completely straight. He placed his glass down on the bar and stared at her on the chair across. In one swift movement, he was directly in front of her, his lips pressed against hers in a sloppy kiss he could only assume was because of the alcohol. As he kissed her, Elena felt her knees wobble. It had been ten years since she had felt his lips on hers yet the sparks she felt made it feel just like yesterday. She felt his hands entwine in her brunette locks and he pulled her impossibly close. The both clawed at each other, trying to get closer. She eagerly kissed him, a soft moan escaping her lips as his curled up into a smirk. He playfully nipped at her lips and Elena smiled before pulling away.

"Is this what you want?" Elena asked him and he nodded his head.

"More than anything." He replied.

"Is this a good idea, Damon." She gasped, breathless. Reaching up, she wiped smudged red lipstick off his mouth and let out a small laugh.

"Of corse it is, Elena." Damon responded.

"How do you know?" She asked and he simply smirked, giving her one last peck on the lips.

"Because it's us."

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 **Super quick Delena oneshot set in season 4/5..  
I don't know what I think of this but the idea popped into my head and you guys know what plot bunny's are like. Once they are here, they never go away.  
I'm still working on other Delena stories, including a complete rewrite of my popular story Home Sweet Home and once that is complete, there will be a sequel! :) **

**Please review and let me know what you think.**

 **-Dreamer.**


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